by Letts,Jason
“They did a bang-up job with that potato salad. Marvellous!” he said. Loris looked at him and sunk his fork into a hunk of chicken.
Yamaguchi shook his head and cleared his throat.
“After doing the inventory, it’s clear we don’t have the stockpiles to last us through another protracted fight. Missiles, charges, even packs for the energy weapons would be completely exhausted if we had a repeat of what we just went through.”
“OK, so we make it short and sweet,” Loris said.
“We’ve calculated the velocity of the Detonan armada and plotted out exactly when we make our turn around the opposite side of the sun,” Sonia Firth said. “At that point, even if some of their ships turned right around, we’d still have enough time to get in position, if we moved fast enough.”
Loris nodded, glad that his plan was still holding up as they began to put it in motion.
“Here’s my concern. Even if we sneak in close to Detonus with very little resistance, even if we knock out the gamma station, what do we have to do then to win? We have limited ammo and a short period of time before they come up with some way to bring their defenses back on line. The boy we brought back said we had something that could devastate them,” Loris said, getting frustrated.
Yamaguchi paused for a moment to think while Loris took another bite.
“The most advanced piece of technology we have is the station’s reactor. Maybe you hit on the answer all the way back when you first came on board the Magellan. We jettison the reactor and detonate it once it hits the planet’s surface. But that leaves us with a number of problems.”
All Loris could look at was the food in front of him. He needed more answers, a way to make it all work.
“Even if the reactor went off, it’s doubtful that it would neutralize the entire planet, small as it is. Sure, they’d be crippled, but so would we. There’d be no way for us to get away from this big ball of Methane,” he said.
“Not unless we took one of their ships,” Reid said.
The comment made Loris look up.
“Surprisingly, that’s a pretty good idea,” he said. Reid grinned and appeared pleased with himself. Loris shifted his attention to Yamaguchi, who was pondering the suggestion.
“The Detonan fighters were able to resist the Cortes’s hijacking programs during the fight, but with the gamma station down we might be able to commandeer one and make the necessary modifications. With enough time, we could use the Detonan fleet against its own people, eventually salvaging some of the larger ships to take us back to Nova,” Yamaguchi said.
It made sense to Loris, who relished the thought of the same technology that destroyed Earth being used against the ones who made it.
“That sounds like our best bet. Destroy the gamma station, jettison the reactor, hijack the fleet to finish laying waste to the planet, and then get out of here.”
“It’s going to take a lot of work to expand the Cortes’s hijacking program to something we can use on a larger scale through the Magellan, and that’s assuming we can ever hack into their ships’ systems. The sophistication here is light years beyond the Silica,” Firth said, leaving immediately to get started on that.
“A lot of things have to go right,” Yamaguchi warned as he turned to leave, taking Reid with him. That left Loris alone with his half-eaten plate of food and increasing pile of doubt.
The feelings that he was in over his head and not lucky enough to have everything go his way drove him to the medical wing, where Brina was still with the alien boy from the planet. It only took one look for Loris to verify the status of his recovery. He was still unconscious and showed no signs of coming around soon.
“He suffered a severe concussion when the rock struck his head, but so far he hasn’t responded to any of the treatment. If he doesn’t come around soon, he could slip into a coma,” Brina said.
“If he stays unconscious for much longer, he could die when our fleet gets wiped out and the Magellan is blown to bits,” Loris said, catching himself being unnecessarily negative. “I’m sorry about that. I wish I knew what he had in mind.”
“Me too,” Brina said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “I have faith he’ll come to and tell us in time.”
Loris sighed and took a closer look at the boy, wondering if there was some way for him to use his mind to communicate even though he was out cold.
“We’ve already discussed some options. It’s hard not to imagine that he was thinking about the Magellan’s reactor core. My mom spent her life working to build it, and while on the one hand I’d be proud if it was used to strike back in such a profound way at those who destroyed Earth, I’d also be sorry it was gone.”
Brina looked at him with sympathetic eyes. Her lips were pursed as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Loris spoke to some of the staff in the medical wing who promised that they’d reach him the moment any change took place. The door slid open and he was about to leave when Brina ran after him.
“Loris!” she called. By the time she got to him, she had to take a deep breath. “I know you’ve been trying to impress me, wow me, make me proud. I want you to know that you’ve done all of those things. We’re lucky to have you leading us on this station, and your affection for me is more than anything I deserve. I just couldn’t have you go out there again without knowing that.”
She reached for his hand and used it to pull herself in. Her kiss came with a warm smile, but at the bottom of it he could tell it took some effort from her. He tried not to think about it and instead focused on appreciating the kind gesture from someone he cared about.
A short time later, Loris was called to the control deck to monitor the imminent course change. The radar displayed the massive array of ships barreling toward them, and so far they seemed perfectly content to believe that the Magellan would confront them head on. On the display, it showed them on the verge of reaching the point where they’d be better off circling around the sun rather than turning around.
“Awaiting your command,” Firth said from a nearby console. Loris felt like a bundle of nerves.
“Make the course correction,” he said, and within seconds the engines propelled the station portside to clear the sun on the opposite side. A long minute passed in which they stared at the radar to see if the Detonans would make any unexpected moves.
“They’re remaining in pursuit,” she said, relieved. Loris closed his eyes. That was one lucky break of many they’d need to make it through the day.
“Let’s lead them around and then pick up speed once they’re fully behind the sun,” he said.
“It looks like they’re cutting a closer orbit to the sun than we expected. It shouldn’t be that big of a difference, but we’ll need to track closer too to ensure they don’t actually catch us. It’s a good thing we got the coolant system fixed, because we’re going to need it,” she said.
Loris nodded, his eyes still on the radar and the flurry of spots moving into position behind them.
“We’re going to have our chance,” he said. “Make sure the fleet is ready for launch inside of an hour.”
Leaving the command bridge, Loris traveled alone to the docking bay, where he spent a few introspective minutes surveying the station’s fleet of six ships and carefully putting on his space suit. He communicated briefly with the medical staff and was told that the boy’s condition had not changed. Because none of their efforts to treat the concussion had worked, they weren’t comfortable risking an effort to revive him. The danger of his alien body reacting unexpectedly and giving up the ghost was too great.
The possibility grew that it would be too late for him to help.
Before long, the docking bay was abuzz with the other pilots and crews readying their ships. The sun drifted out of view of the starboard windows as the Magellan closed in on the alien planet.
“I hope you don’t mind if I take over my old place on the Cortes,” Loris said to Panic, who was gearing up with Lopez and look
ing over some maps of the flight path to the gamma station.
“You’re welcome to it,” she said. “I was sure I’d make a mistake and get us all killed. I’d rather that be on someone else’s shoulders.”
Loris could understand how uncomfortable the weight of responsibility could be. The only upside was that if he made a mistake, no one would be around to remember it.
“Are you ready for one more ride?” Loris asked Lopez, who cracked a wide grin.
“Just promise me it’ll get the attention of some sexy admirers,” he said.
Panic chuckled to herself and shook her head.
“No feats are impossible for a Unified officer when there’s a chance at getting laid.”
They left the supply room and headed through the docking bay toward the airlocks, where Stayed was waiting near the entry to the Balboa.
“Didn’t you head back to your quarters?” Loris asked, suspecting that his father had been seated on a crate the entire time they’d been docked.
“And do what? I’m in the zone and I’m not coming down until the job is done,” Stayed said, crossing his large arms over his chest. Loris hoped he’d be that indefatigable at that age.
“Well, the wait is almost over. Let’s get on board and prepare to disembark once the station reaches its position near Detonus. Remember, when we’re making our final approach to the gamma station, trail behind by quite a ways in case we’re not able to knock it down. Then give it all you’ve got.”
“Right. I’ll be there for you,” Stayed said, and it seemed apparent to Loris that he was thinking of all the times he hadn’t been.
Amber lights flashed inside the docking bay, scrambling the rest of the flight crews. The docking staff cleared out as the executive staff came in to see them off. Yamaguchi’s cold, hard visage would’ve made him a nightmare for anyone coming across him in a dark alley.
“You wanted vengeance, Commander. Now’s your chance for it,” he said.
Loris took a deep breath, wondering if it’d cost him his life.
“I’d put a thousand humans up against an alien population any time. They should’ve known better than to attack us.”
He still hadn’t told anyone what he’d learned about the origins of humanity at the bottom of that tunnel. The dawn of their biggest fight wasn’t the time for reckoning with such things.
“The Magellan is beginning to decelerate,” Firth spoke up. “The clock is ticking.”
That was enough of a motivator for Loris, who quickly waved to those gathered to see them off and ducked into the airlock. When he climbed into his seat in the cockpit, he watched the planet Detonus grow larger as they approached. It had the color of red clay except for increasingly visible areas of gray that seemed like sprawling settlements. A few of their larger orbiting stations caught his eye, magnificent and dangerous. They’d charted a course to the surface well clear of those.
Panic and Lopez climbed in beside and initiated the launch sequence, while the others headed to the lower deck to man their stations. Loris both hoped for and dreaded any news that could come through on the com, but it remained silent.
“Alright, we’ve reached departure velocity. Let’s detach and group up as we head to our starting point.”
“I’m getting a cluster of fighters approaching,” Panic said once the Cortes’s thrusters became active. Loris clenched his fist. He knew the planet wouldn’t be entirely undefended, but he’d hoped for some more time before encountering the scraps.
“We don’t have a lot of time to lose. Stay tight and remember what we learned from the last fight. If we coordinate our fire from multiple angles, we have the best chance of overcoming those shields. Photon cannons only. Save the missiles for the surface.”
The enemy fighters raced in from the nearest large space station, which hovered over the mirror array used in conjunction with the gamma station to control their fleet.
“These are unmanned fighters,” Lopez observed. “You don’t even get the satisfaction of killing one of them.”
The Magellan’s fleet intersected with the enemy fighters nearly halfway to the planet’s atmosphere. Evading fire when they were grouped so close was difficult, but the shields were at full strength and able to prevent any damage to the Cortes.
“Let’s see how many we can take out in one pass,” Loris said.
“I’m taking quite a few hits,” Stayed said.
“Hold on. We’re in position to retaliate.”
The gunners on all of the ships rained photon fire simultaneously, destroying nearly half of the enemy cluster and continuing on through without breaking stride. More drones were approaching, but none would be able to get in front of them.
“Some of these are faster than what we came up against before,” Lopez said. The radar showed them closing quickly. It wouldn’t be long until they breached the atmosphere.
“Focus fire on the rear. See if we can keep them back,” Loris said.
But the unmanned fighters showed no concern for their own safety, either by maintaining a safe distance or even dodging fire.
“The Space Mole is having trouble keeping up,” Panic said. Loris clenched his teeth and watched the vessel drift further and further behind the rest of the pack on the radar. Enemy fighters concentrated their fire on the laggard and closed in, leaving Loris with a split-second decision.
“Let’s loop around and try to save them. Then we can send the Space Mole back to the Magellan. It’s just plain outmatched,” he said.
But even before Lopez could punch in the command to shift course, screams came in over the com. Whether it was a lucky shot, something overheating within the ship, a collision with a drone, or all three, the Space Mole burst into pieces as if its hull was made of eggshell. A half dozen lives were lost in an instant.
“They’re gone,” Panic said as a grim mood filled the cockpit.
The only positive was that their sacrifice left the rest of the fleet with a little more space between the enemy fighters. They broke through the atmosphere and descended toward the surface. Even from high up, they could see that much of the land had been carved into strange geometric shapes. As they dropped lower and whizzed by, they spotted buildings and streets along the ground. Detonans hobbled about with an awkward, stumbling gait, commencing with their daily lives in much the same way the people of Earth did on the day the planet exploded. Also visible were brown lakes of Methane that supported ships and floating structures with a purpose Loris couldn’t fathom.
“Remember, we’re headed toward the probe launch site before breaking off for the gamma station at the last minute,” he said.
The enemy fighters continued to give chase, firing frequently and often hitting things on the ground. After passing over another lake, they appeared to enter a more militarized zone, where large cranes and hangers were assembling spacecraft and weaponry. It was a surprise when some of it came online and took aim at them.
“Watch that ground fire,” Stayed said. Loris recalled hearing a theory that the surface was likely to have light defenses, if any, but now they had to dodge incoming attacks from all directions. Far off to the right, they caught their first glimpse of the gamma station, a towering structure with an antenna and large dish held up by what looked like a grouping of cylindrical silos. A number of hovering structures and vehicles occupied space in the area.
The fighters loomed ever closer to their rear, pelting them with fire as they threatened to overtake them. It was going to be a tight race to the finish, and Loris was on edge, reduced to trying to push the vessel across the alien planet by force of will.
“Get ready to make that turn, then we’re in the home stretch. Give it everything you’ve got and get clear of the area. With any luck, the blast will knock out some of the pests behind us,” Loris said.
Up ahead in the distance they saw a great crater cut deep into the ground. Lined with metal, it delved kilometers deep under the surface. What they did down there to create the probes and delive
r their messages of death was another mystery that proved disturbing to ponder.
The Hudson was just ahead of the Cortes and made the sudden turn first, heading straight in the direction of the gamma station. The others lined up behind it with the Balboa decelerating into the rear by a large margin. Seeing the ship drifting back made Loris recall the fate of the Space Mole, and losing another ship like that was not acceptable.
“If it gets too hot back there, don’t hesitate to catch up,” he said.
“We’ve got nothing to worry about. They can’t so much as get a lock on us,” Stayed said with amused bluster.
For every ten shots they took at the Balboa, only one hit, but even at that ratio the damage began to accrue quickly. Stayed’s fancier maneuvers were no longer enough to avoid everything coming at him. Loris knew that if he or anyone else were piloting back there in the thick of it, the ship would already be mincemeat. The gamma station grew larger before them, and they couldn’t get there fast enough.
“Start warming up the big guns,” Loris said, eyeing the large structure before them. The silos narrowed right where they met the surface, and enough firepower could topple the whole thing over.
Unfortunately, their view didn’t last long. The hovering structures shifted into a blockade, and a number of unarmed but bulky aircraft were moving toward them, clearly with the intent to cause a crash. There were even some Detonans on the ground with strange handheld weaponry that caused sudden explosions in the air.
“We’re going to have trouble getting a clear shot, and before long they’ll have the entire rig completely obstructed,” Panic said.
“Then we’ll have to blast our way through those too,” Loris said. He went ahead and launched a missile at what appeared to be a large, free-floating storage container. When the shot hit, it blew a hole in the side and knocked out whatever system kept it afloat. The crash on the ground was satisfying, but up ahead there was a lot more metal in their way.